Catch for necklaces



Patented Feb. 24, 1953 CATCH FOR NECKLACES Irving Kamens, New York, and Adolphe Weinstock, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 6, 1950, Serial No. 172,298

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a safety catch for necklaces or the like.

Broadly, it is an object of the invention to provide a safety catch for use with necklaces which will not readily separate under general wearing conditions but which must be manually operated with the thumb and another finger of the hand. In other words, the ends of the necklace will be securely held together without danger of accidental separation and consequential loss of the necklace.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a safety catch for necklaces which will release and eject one part, that is the male portion, of the catch upon opposed pressure of opposed projecting lugs so that the clasp cannot accidentally become unlocked unless the double locking means of the clasp is compressed.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is had to the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the clasp.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, parts being broken away to show the inner structure and parts being shown in section, and showing the male member inserted Within the housing of the clasp.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the clasp with one wall removed, parts being shown in section and with the male member in ejected position.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken through line i4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, numeral l6 represents a clasp preferably made of metal and rectangular in form, having a housing 20 comprising two opposed walls ii and I2, which are herein called a top and bottom, respectively, for the purpose of description, a back it, a front Hi, end walls Eli-29, a fastening dog l5, a bottom fastening dog It, and a male member ll comprising an insertable projecting male member it and a plate l9 at right angles thereto.

The housing 20 has a pair of parallel walls 2!'22 in its central portion providing a central longitudinal compartment 23 within which a movable block 25 rides against the pressure of spring 25. Projecting from the central front face of block 24 there is a -shaped member 30 which receives the V-shaped end of male member 3 when it is inserted within the clasp housing is.

A transverse wall 26, between the back 53 and front I4, provides a transverse channel El adjacentthe front I4 for the opposed dogs l and It to move. Each end wall 28-29 has a square opening 3 l-32 adjacent the front M and aligned with the channel 21 to'permit the projecting end of the dogs to pass, as shown in the figures. The front Hi has a rectangular opening 33 in its central part aligned with the compartment 23 to permit the male member 58 to enter the housing. Wall II and back l2 each have a small rectangular opening or slot 3435, respectively, aligned over the transverse channel 2?, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The pair of opposed fastening dogs 15-46 are located within the channel 21 with their ends projecting through openings 3 l-32, respectively and beyond the end walls 28-29 of the housing 20. The top ends of the dogs l5i6 are grooved, as shown at 36-31, to prevent the finger nails from sliding the dogs lE-It.

The dogs i5l6 are substantially square in cross-section with hollow portions 3339 at the projecting ends within which one end compression springs ML H are seated. The opposite ends of springs Allll are seated upon the outside bottom ends i243 respectively, of dogs -45. Each dog l5-l5 has three short walls, that is, the front and side walls at the projecting end, and a long back wall 4 l i5, and a bottom d2 i3. Each bottom i243 has a projecting pin lifi ll, respectively, which slides within slots is-es of long walls id-s5, respectively, the ends of the slot opposite the dog acting as a stop in both directions for the said opposite dog. The openings ss as are in alignment with slots err-es so that the pins lit-? pass through both aligned slots 38-34 and 49-35, respectively, The bottom 23 of the top dog 15 is lower than the bottom it of the bottom dog It providing a space it which is less in height than the rectangular front opening 33, that is, the bottoms partially cover the opening 33 when the male member i2 is not within the housing 20, as shown in Fig. 3.

The male member has the plate [9 of the same size as the front i i and is adapted to cover the front i l when member H is completely within housing Projecting at right angles from the center of plate is is insertable male member it which is slightly less in thickness and height than the opening 33 to permit it to enter opening 33 and which has an arrow-like head 5|. Behind head 5! there are slots 52-53 providing shoulders E l-5E and a back projection 58 which is of the same width as the front i l and fills the opening 33 when the member H is fully inserted.

When the projecting male member l8, which is slightly less in height than the opening 33 is inserted through opening 33, the arrow-like head spreads apart the bottoms 42-43 of the dogs I6l5 respectively, against compression springs 404l permitting the head 5| to enter the longitudinal compartment 23, as shown in Fig. 2, that is, the arrow-like head 5| crowds back the dogs from in front of the opening 33 until the shoudlers 54-55 have passed the bottoms 42--43. As soon as the shoulders 5455 have passed the bottoms 4243 of the dogs |5I6, the compression springs 49-4| depress the bottoms -4243 causing them to spring in opposite directions and fall into the slots 52-53 of the male member l8. The shoulders 5455 will prevent the male member 18 from being withdrawn from housing 20. The head 5|, when it is inserted into channel or compartment 23 depresses the V-shaped member 30 and the block 24 against the spring 25.

In order to release the male member I! from its housing 28, it is necessary to compress both of the dogs l5l6 simultaneously. This will cause the bottoms 4243 of the dogs I5-l6 to reciprocate away from each other freeing the male member I 8 which is then automatically ejected by the block 24 and member 30 which had been under compression.

The back l3 and plate l9 each have a ring 5'I-58, respectively, attached thereto by any well-known means, such as soldering or brazing to which the opposed ends of a necklace 59 or other article of jewelry may be attached by wellknown means.

The top H has been shown attached to the housing 20 by pins 68 for illustrative purposes only, however, it may be attached by any wellknown means and may also be formed integral with the housing.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the general spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a clasp for neck-pieces comprising a housing having a front, a central longitudinal channel and a transverse channel adjacent one end of said housing, a block within said central channel movable against a compression spring, opposed hollow dogs within said transverse channel reciprocally movable towards and away from each other against compression springs therein, the ends of said dogs extending beyond said housing to permit said dogs to be pressed toward one another by the fingers of the hand, aligned slots in said housing and said dogs, pins projecting from the inner ends of said dogs through said aligned slots an opening in said front, the inner ends of said dogs being past the central longitudinal medial line of said housing, said inner ends of said dogs adapted to paritally cover said front opening when said dogs are in normal position, a male member adapted to be inserted into said opening against said movable block, said male member having an enlarged tapered head which spreads said inner ends of said dogs against spring pressure when inserted into said housing and when said head passes said inner ends of said dogs said dogs spring in opposite directions and engage said male member to lock it within said housing.

2. In a clasp for neck-pieces comprising a housing having a front, a longitudinal central channel and a transverse channel adjacent one end of said housing, said transverse channel communicating with said central channel, a block within said central channel movable against a compression spring, opposed hollow dogs within said transverse channel reciprocally movable towards and away from each other against compression springs therein, the ends of said dogs extending beyond said housing to permit said dogs to be pressed toward one another by the fingers of the hand, aligned slots in said housing and said dogs, pins projecting from the inner ends of said dogs through said aligned slots, an opening in said housing front, the inner ends of said dogs being past the central longitudinal medial line of said housing and adapted to partially cover said front opening when said dogs are in normal position, a male member adapted to be inserted into said opening against said movable block, said male member having an enlarged tapered head with opposed shoulders, said head spreading said inner ends of said dogs against spring pressure and when said head passes said inner ends of said dogs said dogs will spring in opposite directions and engage said male member at said shoulders to lock it within said housing.

3. In a clasp for neck-pieces comprising a housing having a front, a longitudinal central channel and a transverse channel adjacent one end of said housing, said transverse channel communicating with said central channel, a blOCl-l having a projecting V-shaped member within said central channel movable against a compression spring, opposed hollow dogs within said transverse channel reciprocally movable towards and away from each other against compression springs therein, the ends of said dogs extending beyond said housing to permit said dogs to be pressed toward one another by the fingers of the hand, aligned slots in said housing and said dogs, pins projecting from the inner ends of said dogs through said aligned slots, an opening in said housing front, the inner ends of said dogs being past the central longitudinal medial line of said housing providing a space therebetween, said inner ends of said dogs adapted to partially cover said front opening when said dogs are in normal position, a male member adapted to be inserted into said opening against said movable V-shaped member, said male member having an enlarged tapered head which spreads said inner ends of said dogs against spring pressure when inserted through said opening and when said head passes said inner ends of said dogs said dogs will spring in opposite directions and engage said male member to lock it within said housing.

4. In a clasp for neck-pieces comprising a housing having a front, a longitudinal central channel and a transverse channel adjacent said front of said housing, said transverse channel communicating with said central channel, a block having a projecting V-shaped member projecting into said transverse channel when in extended position, said block within said central channel movable against a compression spring, opposed hollow dogs within said transverse channel reciprocally movable towards and away from each other against compression springs therein, the ends of said dogs extending beyond said housing to permit said dogs to be pressed toward one another by the fingers of the hand, aligned slots in said housing and said dogs, pins projecting from the inner ends of said dogs through said aligned slots, said slots in said housing acting as stops for said dogs, an openmg in said housing front, the inner ends of said dogs being past the central longitudinal medial line of said housing providing a space therebetween, said inner ends 01 said dogs adapted to partially cover said front opening when said dogs are in normal position, a male member having opposed shoulders and slots and adapted to be inserted into said opening between said inner ends of said dogs and against said movable block, said male member having an enlarged tapered head which spreads said inner ends of said dogs against spring pressure when inserted through said opening and when said head passes said inner ends of said dogs said dogs will spring in opposite directions to cause said inner ends to enter said slots of said male member and engage said male member looking it within said housing whereby upon compression of said opposed dogs said male member will be automatically ejected from said housing.

IRVING KAMENS. ADOLPHE WEINSTOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,271,650 Arkin July 9, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number Country Date 472,995 France Sept. 1, 1914 

